Electric railroad-gate.



APPLICATION FILED APB.. 7.1906.

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PATENTED AUG. 7, 1906.'

A. C. WORLAND. ELECTRIC RAILRAD GATE.

APPLIGATIONFILE'D-APB.7,1906.

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@vi h1 con attoznup 3'5 p 6 `is a detail viewl illustrating' one form ofy U N TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

ANDRFM'v C. VVORLAND, OF JASPER, INDIA-NA. ELECTRIC RAILRoAD-GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 7, 1906. SerialNo. 310.568.

lPatented Aug. 7, 1906.-

To all whom t indy concern.- y Beit known that I, ANDREW C. WonLANn, acitizen of the United States, residing at yJas er, in the county ofDubois and State of In iana, have invented certain'newa'nd usefulImprovements in Electric Railroad-Gates, of which the following isa seciication.

l This invention Contemp ates certain new and useful improvements ingates, and is particularly intendedfor .use in connection v withrailroad-crossings.

The object of my invention is to provide an im roved gate of thischaracter which is mova le in a perpendicular plane to both closed andopen osition by means of a weight, and it em odies improved electricially-controlled-means for holding the weight- -ftion and accompanyingdrawings, in which-- Figure 1 is aside elevation of my improved gate andincludes also `a diagrammatic view of some ofthe circuits employed. Fig.2 is a perspective view of the gate.- Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofaportion of the weight-actuated mechanism for thel gate. Fig. 4 is adetail side viewof a portion of said mechanism and art of thcelectrically-controlled devices. ig. 5 is a detail sectional 'viewillustrating some of the contacts employed. Fig.

mechanism that may be employed for actulating the gateby. means ofsuitabley devices located in the engine-cab.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in; the followingdescription and indicated reference characters.

in all thewiews of the drawings by the same Referring tothe drawings,the numeral 1 designates a supporting-framework, of which one u right orstandard constitutes the support or the vertically-movable gate 2, whichispivoted thereto intermediate its ends and is provided at its rear' endwith a counterbalance 3 in the form of a heavy iron ball or I the likeand with a lug 4 beyond said counterbalance. `That upright of theframework 1 which carries the gate directly is preferably extended'in anupward direction andconstitutes the post5. To the post 5 is connectedthe revoluble shaft 6, carrying at one end a. spur-pinion '7 and at itsother end having `a crank 8 connected to the gate 2 by means ofI .le

the link-pitman 9. The pinion 7 is meshed with agear-wheel 10, mountedat the u per end of the framework 1, and on the sha the wheel 10is wounda cord or cable' 11', ex-

tending up over a pulley 12 on the upright 5' and carrying an actuatin-weight 13 at one end. A. rathet-and-paw device 10*L is provided to windup the weight 13.

- The parts are so arranged that' when per` mitted to do sothe descentof the Weight 13 will capse the wheel 10' to turn and likewise thepinion 7, vwhich will revolve the crank 8. The crank 8 and itsconnection 9 lwith the gate2 areso roportioned thata complete revolutionof t e crank will effect alowering v of the gate from a substantiallyperpendicular position to a closed horizontal osition and back again,approximately' one ha fof the revolution beingsufiicient to lower thegate Y and the other half of its revolution being sufte to thc openorperpenicient to raise the gel order to hold thegate in dicul'arposition.

such positions andto maintain the 4weight 13 in an inoperativecondition, I have-provided the lug 4 on the rear extremity of the gate,be yond the couirterbalance 3, and in connection with said lug 4 latches14- 14', that are mounted on-the framework in the proper position to bepressed by their springs 15 15 into engagement with the lug 4 at theupper and, lower movements of the gate, respectively. The

normal rposition of these latches. is that in which t ey hold thee gatefrom movement, and in order to release the latches so that the weight 13may act to swing'the gate I provide 'electroma nets 16 16, one j foreach latch. The' latc es 14 14 are within the magnetic fields of themagnets 16 16 and constitute virtually armatures therefor, so that whenthe circuits of which the ma scribed, the `energization' of the magnetsWill attract the latches and release them from the lug 4. The magnetsare included in electric circuits of which the main source of supplyisets form a part are closed, as will be hereinafter de- IOC a battery 17or the like, which for convenience may be located upon the post 5 of theframework, the circuits extending from said 'post in opp'ositedirectionsfromA the crossing where the gate is applied by means of overhead Wires18 to te eaph-poles or'similar poles, and -thence'to t e ground and tocircuit-closing switches 20, located between the rails. These switches2() may be located at any desired distance from the crossing and arepreferably actuated toclose the circuits by means of the cow-catcher ofthe locomotive or suitable devices depending from the latter andpreferably under the c on'trolof the engineer.

In the practical operation of my improved gate for railroad-crossings asa train a proaches the crossing the switch will e automatically actuatedto close the circuit in which is included the .electromagnet 16, thatwill attract the latch 14, holding the 1u 4 vwith the gate in its raisedor perpendicu ar osition. Hence the said latch will be reeased from thelug 4 of the gate, and the weight 13 will be ermitted to act'to lowerthe gate. When t e ate has been lowered, the other latch 14 wi engagethe lug 4 and hold the gate in lowered and closed'position. As the trainpasses the crossing the o posite switch 20 wi be actuated, which wi l,as is manifest, close the circuit designed to release that latch whichholds the gate in closed position, and the weight will then be permittedto continue its downward motion to complete the revolution of the crank8 and can swing the gate to the raised or open position.

In connection with the actuating means before described I have providedmeans for insuring the safety of a vehicle that hapi pens to becontiguous with the crossing or between the gates at the time theapproaching train automatically starts the gates to close. Such meanscomprise an auxiliary'latch 21, which is in the present instance mountedupon the curved bar or brace 22 ofthe framework 1, between the latches14 14 and preferably "close to the lowermost latch. The auxiliary latch21 is moved either to a positionwhere 4 it will lie in the pathof theupwardly-swinging lug 4 and. prevent the further closing movement of thegate or to a posi- 45 -tion where it will not obstructthe free closingmovementfof the gate in such, manner by means of t`wo 'electromagnets23, thatare included in two different circuits 24, of which. thecircuit-closing devices are respectively locatedat points close to thetrack-rails on both sides of the same and at two other points asufficient distance from the track-l rails te -insure safe assage of thevehicle-in either direction. n the present Ainstance thesecircuit-closing devices consist of boards- 25, laid across the roadwayapproaching the track. l From the fore oing it will be understood thatas the vehic e moves across one of the boards 25 thatHare very close to:the' track-rails one of; the circuits will be `cl9sed and onemagnetenergized to throw the auX- iliary latch 21 into the ath of thelug 4 and momentarilyprevent tliie further movementy v ofthe gate towardthe closed position. Then ..6 5 as the vehicle passes od the middleboards onto the outermost boards controlling the circuit devices for thecircuit of the other magnet the said other magnet willdrawtheyauxili'ary latch 2l out of the path of the lug 4 and permit the gateto be closed. ,It is to be noted j that both of the circuits for thissafety mechanism are initially closed to effect their functions by meansof contact-plates or brushes26 and 27, located, respectively, on thegate near the pivot-point thereof and some adjacent stationary support.IHence these circuits can never be closed until the ate starts towardits lowered position, and y this means the" circuits are under normalconditions held open, and the electric current is not wasted, 8o as itis only in effect when the train is approaching and the gate has beenstarted toward its closed position. -Under other conditions vehicles maypass freely across the boards .25 Without closing either of the ciricuits for the auxiliary latch 21.

' Itis to be understood that, while I have shown the gate 2 and itscorrelated parts asv on only one side of the track, in actual prac-4tice under ordinary conditions two of said 9o gates are prcvided-one foreach side of the track. When'this is understood, the need of my safetydevice is at once apparent, for y they effectivelyprevent the entra pingof ra cuit in an obvious manner, and each switch. is

also provided with an Vupwardly-projectingV arm 30, `with which anactuating-roller 31 is j designed to contact`I to swin the switch in lone direction or the other to c ose the circuit. fro The roller 31 maybe carried u' onthe beam 32, ivotally suspended from .t e floor35 of theocomotive-cab and actuated by means 'of a foot or other lever 33, whichmay be locked in operative position by means of a catch 34, I r 5 'or itis obvious that the roller L31 may be carried by the cow-catcher of thelocomotive. Preferably the brushes rshown in Fig. 6 un derneath the tw-o`arms 29 are yleldably mounted so that they Awill 'yield when en- 12ogaged by either arm 29 should the latter be pressed farther than isnecessary.

'Havi thus described the invention, what is claime as -new is--. y

1. In gate mechanism for railroadf-crcss-l m5 ings, the vcombination ofa support, a gate mounted on said support, Ameans for autot maticallyopenin and closing said gate,l electrically-contro led -means foroverning'4 .theopening and closing means an electricr3.9!

ally-controlled means for automatically ar restlng said gate temporarilyin its closing' contro led means for automatically arrestingsaid 4gatetemporarily in its closing movement, and meansyvhereby as the gate beins to close it will close the circuit for the e ectrically-controlledarresting means.

3. The combination of a sup ort, a vertically-Swingin@r counterbalanced)gate pivotally mounted thereon, a weight-actuated gear-wheel mounted onsaid support, a shaft also mounted on said support and provided at oneend with a pinion and at the other end with a crank, a wei ht-actuatedcord winding on said shaft, a lin lconnection between the gate and saidcrank, the gate being provided with a lug at its rear end, latchesdesigned to engage' with said lug to hold the gate in o en and closedpositions, electromagnets c esigned to retract saidlatches, and meansfor energizing saidv electromagnets at a distance.

4. The combination of' asupport, a vertically-swinging counterbalancedgate mounted thereon, weight-actuated devices designed to .both closeand open said gate, springpressed latches designed to hold said gate inboth closed and open position, electrically- 35 controlled means forretracting said latches, and an electrically-controlled auxiliary latchdesigned to temporarily stop said gate in its downward movement.v

5. The combination 'of a support, a vertically-swinging counterbalan'cedgate mounted thereon, means for automatically closing and opening saidgate, latches designed to lock the ate in both closed and open position,electrica ly-controlled 'means for retracting said latches, an auxiliarylatch and means for automatically actuating said auxiliary latch firstto arrest and then to allow the closing of the gate.

6. In a gate mechanism for railroad-crossings, the combination of asupport, a gate mounted on said support, means for automatically openingand closing said gate, electrically-retracted latches designed to locksaid gate in both open and closed positions, an electrically-controlledauxiliary latch designed to arrest the closing movement of said gate andmeans whereby as it begins to close the gate will close the circuit forthe auxiliar atih automatically, substantially as speci- 6o In testimonywhereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW C. WORLAND.

